Add another West Virginia Democrat to the list — this time, the
head of the state.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Wednesday that neither
Obama nor Mitt Romney had earned his vote this November.
He is also up for re-election in November.

Here's part of his statement:

"I do not believe that either candidate has a real
understanding of what is important to West Virginia.

As Governor, I go to work every day to stand up for West
Virginians and create jobs. As Governor, I know that I must
work hard every day to earn the trust and the votes of my
constituents. Neither President Obama nor Governor Romney has
earned my vote at this point."

It's very similar to the position Manchin took: Tomblin has
issues with both candidates. With Romney, it's on entitlements.
With Obama, it's on his energy and coal policies, which happen to
affect crucial industries in West Virginia.

Mitt Romney is supporting policies that will end Medicare and
Social Security as we know it. His policies will put more burdens
on West Virginia families who are simply trying to make ends
meet. On the other hand, President Obama has apparently
made it his mission to drive the backbone of West Virginia’s
economy, coal and the energy industry, out of business. That will
not only hurt thousands of West Virginia families, it will
destroy the economic fabric of our state.

There's a connection here: Both Tomblin and Manchin were put in
office after special elections. Manchin, the former governor of
West Virginia, took over Sen. Robert Byrd's Senate seat in a 2010
election. Then Tomblin took his seat in a 2011 special election.

Tomblin and Manchin's strategy, it seems, is trying to play nice
with their constituents. They got elected as Democrats, but they
have a base that is frustrated with Barack Obama's energy policy,
particularly with the coal industry.

But as pointed out before, there's a risk of
being even more prone to attack because of this. That's
what happened when Manchin announced his shakiness in supporting
Obama.

"I'd prefer if he didn't vote with Obama so
often," said Chad Holland, the executive director of the West
Virginia Republican Party, told Business Insider.

But Manchin argues that he is consistent as one of the most
conservative Democrats in the Senate. His record does back that
up. And he is building this into an argument of wanting the best
for his state, independent of party.

"I strongly believe that every American should always be
rooting for our President to do well, no matter which political
party that he or she might belong to. With that being said, many
West Virginians believe the last three and a half
years haven’t been good for us, but we’re hopeful that
they can get better."